Pirates hope to bounce back against Marumo

Orlando Pirates mentor Abdeslam Ouaddou has stressed the importance of winning against his former side, Marumo Gallants, if they are to remain in the title race.

Pirates, who were stunned 1-0 by Sekhukhune United in their league opener at Orlando Stadium over the weekend, hope to bounce back when they face Marumo at Dr Molemela Stadium tonight (7.30pm).

“I saw the result [of Marumo beating Richards Bay 2-1 in their league opener] ... congratulations to them [Marumo]. This game is not only important for me, but it is also important for our team ... we definitely want to go there and get a result because when you lose your first game at home, you need to get points away to still stay in the race,” Ouaddou said.

The Pirates coach has come under fire for not using some of the players who were key last season, such as Tshegofatso Mabasa, Evidence Makgopa, Thalente Mbatha and Deano van Rooyen, among others, in their opening two games of the season. Pirates beat Polokwane City 2-0 in the MTN8 quarterfinals, their first game of the campaign, nearly a fortnight ago.

Ouaddou has sounded rather receptive to the idea of squad rotation amid the congested fixture programme. By the end of this month, Pirates, who will also participate in the CAF Champions League next month, will have already played seven matches.

“We knew from the beginning that we would have very close games in our schedule. We need to see which players are available ... like I told you, we have a lot of players. Maybe the rotation will be interesting when you have so many games in a short time,” Ouaddou stated.

League fixtures (all at 7.30pm)

Tonight: Gallants v Pirates, Dr Petrus Molemela; Orbit v Siwelele, Dobsonville; Sundowns v AmaZulu, Loftus Versfeld.

Tomorrow: Arrows v Bay, King Zwelithini; Chiefs v Polokwane, FNB; Magesi v Stellenbosch, Seshego; Durban v Chippa, Chatsworth; Sekhukhune v Galaxy, Peter Mokaba

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